Kenneth and Jorell's 5th Birthday Party

The twins turned 5 on April 16, 2007. How time flies.

I just wanted to share this picture with you.

Some pictures form my trip

I would like to share some photos from my last trip. Paris is such a nice place to see. If you love art and fashion...... it might be the best place to visit. All you have to do is walk.......and you will be amazed........medyo mahal lang nga, and the hotel rooms are really small. If anyone's going, please stay in the Latin Quarter.......you will experience more of the local flavor.

I'll post pictures of NYC next time.

Enchanted Kingdom

These are shots of the family at Enchanted Kingdom. Hindi talaga siya Disneyland but it's the closest we have to it. Ok na din. Nicole's photos were taken on Saturday, on a trip with her friends, while the photos with Bebop, Dani and Josh were taken the next day, a Sunday. On that day, Nicole was at Splash Island with the same friends. Bebop & I rode the bump car & kiddie roller coaster (wimps!) while Dani and Josh tried everything including the Space Shuttle, a tall loop roller coaster. Bebop passed on that. He just didn't pass, it was a No-Way thing for him. Nahilo na kami doon pa lang sa Rialto Theater (where your seat buckles left and right in coordination with the movie visuals). Nagmamadali ako to get to the park early, but as it turns out, we got there at a very bad time, 12:30noon. The heat sapped our energy. Hay. When dark came, the lights came on as well, and the breeze turned cool. Ang ganda ng weather. By that time however, pagod na kami. So before 8pm we were on our way home. Nicole and friends entered the park a little past 10am, & they stayed the whole day, but aside from a sunburn, they seemed to just take the heat in stride. Hindi na kami ni Bebop pwede sa ganoon nang hindi napapagod. Pero ang galing, may fire blowing number (a group of performers blow fire about 6 feet into the air) & pirate dance number.

Easter Brunch

Easter this year was new to us. And though I miss the Philippine out-of-town trips, the fasting and abstaining (but with delicious seafood), the Visita Iglesia, Stations of the Cross, and vegging out with no activities until 3pm on Good Friday, we learned new things that I plan to make into new family traditions.

We experienced the church community washing of the feet on Maundy Thursday. Someone washes your feet and you wash the next person's feet in mass. It was a new take on humility and privilege.

Easter Sunday Mass was the culmination of the Holy Week, I'm glad. We started with Easter Mass and then, I prepared Easter brunch. No tapsilog and longganisa this time! My special menu included: Quiche Lorraine (eggs, cheese, cream, bacon, onions--on a pie crust), Ham and Asparagus Toasts, Ricky's Sausage and Peppers Pasta, Breakfast Sausage, Pancakes with homemade fruit syrup, fruit salad.

My mom and UJ came. Maui had some friends over. Mukhang success, naubos yung food. I forgot to take pictures becaue everyone came in hungry. Here's what I managed to take, while chewing my food!






We also staged a mini-Easter Egg hunt for the younger kids. Maui and Nico hid the eggs. Selena found the $10 jackpot egg. Magu found 2 $5 eggs. Monica found cash eggs, and many candy-filled ones.



I think this has been the most fun Easter we have had as a family in a long time.



Happy Easter everyone!

Tita Bing in my mind

How strange that even in her passing, I feel Tita Bing more so in my life. She lent me formal clothes when I needed them and gave me unexpected tokens she thought I would like. She taught me how to refine my crocheting skills and so when I am stuck, I talk to her while crocheting. Sometimes, I talk to her when I am nervous. Sometimes, I feel her thinking about me, about us--in a good way, like she were blessing us.

How wonderful that the memories you have of someone lives on. These immortal memories will not die with the body. In her honor, let's paint more memories that we will want to keep, even to the next life. Let's remember her generosity of heart and share our homes as tambayan to those who need a place to rest, in her memory. (Now that we have our own homes, in different places in the world, we know that opening our doors is not an easy thing to do all the time.)

And to her loved children: Tonito, Rocky, Carmela, their spouses and kids, and to tito Raffy, and lola, tita Ditas, tita Pempe, tito King, daddy, tito Boogie, I join you all in prayer on this special day.

Happy Birthday, tita!

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY MAMA BING!

Dani Grauated from Grade School

At St. Scholastica's College Westgrove, there's no Grade 7, so Nicole and Dani both graduated when they were Grade 6. Dani's Ceremony was last Saturday, March 31, 2007. Bebop and I were expecting to watch her graduate, and we would've been ok with that. But I found out that she would be given a medal for high honors. That was a big bonus for us. God has been good to us.